Half-Elves
Half-Elves Half-elves are the result of human and elven union. They are rare, and often outcasts in both human and elven societies. Elves and humans are the only races that have children together with any form or regularity, due to their similar values of beauty; elves are beautiful to human standards, and elves are often enthralled with the unique appearances of humans. Humans have features that are new and different to elves, yet in some ways, they aren't all that different. However, half-elves are still rare because of how reclusive and aloof elves tend to be. In recent years, the half-elf population has shot up due to a number of factors. After the elves of the Mirror Forest opened relations with human and dwarven societies, many human and elf couples started. As for half-dark elves, many are born of rape during the Marmo occupation of Kanon, or from fraternization between Marmo soldiers and dark elven women. There are also certain promiscuous wandering elven men to blame, such as the common elf Azala¹. Half-elf lifespans are far longer than humans, but half the length of elves. A half-elf's lifespan on average, would be five-hundred years. They would far outlive the humans in their lives, but their elven parent and even grandparents could potentially outlive them. Elven women come into estrus once every ten years, and this cycle sometimes carries onto half-elven daughters. However, they may also inherit the monthly cycle of their human parentage, or a halved elven cycle; meaning coming into estrus once every five years². There is no culture of half-elves. Their culture depends on where they were raised, and who raised them. Some half-elves are lucky enough to have both parents while others are left with one parent or another, and some are even abandoned by their parents all together. No matter what the case, half-elves will suffer some how. Either they will be ostracized by both elven and human peers, or they will have to deal with the issues of living far longer than humans, or far shorter than elves. 'Physical Appearance' The appearances of half-elves vary depending on their human parentage, yet some traits can be counted on. Half-elves inherit the metabolism of their elven parent, making gaining fat nearly impossible. Their musculature is often a combination of elven and human—meaning that they can put on more muscle than elves, but not as much as humans. Half-elves inherit the long ears of the elven parent, but the length is generally half the length of an elven ear; leaving them with long, tapered ears that are 3-4 inches long. The final trait that half-elves always inherit is the agelessness. Their apparent aging will cease in the early twenties, once they reach physical maturity, and not continue until their final decade. The coloration of half-elves depends on their parentage. They could have the eye color of their elven parent, or human parent. Their hair may often be dark if their human parent had dark hair, since dark hair is a dominant trait and blond is recessive. One thing that elves find physically appealing about humans is dark hair, after all. In the case of half-dark elves, their skin color ends up being a medium between the color of their human parent and the dark elf parent. However, hair is a different story. Some half-dark elves have ended up having silver and black hair. Black hair is a dominant trait of humans, while silver is a dominant trait in dark elves. This may leave a half-elf with a silver streak in black hair, or a black streak in silver hair, or a motley mix of both. 'Magic' Half-elves inherit the elven aptitude for shamanism, though depending on how they're raised, it may not be nurtured. If a half-elf isn't trained from early childhood, spirits may come to them, and they may learn a little shamanism on their own, unless their human parent forces them to deny the ability. However, if they find a tutor later in life, they can easily learn it. If trained from early on like elven children, half-elves can equal their peers in strength, though sometimes their spiritual connection isn't as strong. No half-elves at this point are sorcerers, but they could possibly learn it, especially if they have never been taught shamanism. Half-common elves may be able to easily find their way into priesthood, but there are very few who have become priests. Half-dark elves in the past have found a place in the Falaris or Kardis priesthood, but those priesthoods are nearly extinct. 'Race Relations' -elven relations are entirely dependent on their individual history. Specific Half-Elf Kinds Half-High Elves High elves have so rarely interacted with humans that there have never been any half-high elves. Half-Common Elves In past centuries, there have been very few half-common elves, but in the last century, partially due to the opening of the Mirror Forest, more have been born. The Mirror Forest is home to a growing population of half-elven children, mostly under sixty years old. Many more half-elves can be found in Raiden, and a few in the region of the Glassy Woods, though the elves of that forest haven't been very accepting of half-elven children. The Kanon forests saw a few half-elven children as well, though many of those families have moved to the Mirror Forest. One aspect of the boom in the half-elf population can be attributed to a single elven man, Azala of the Glassy Woods¹. This wandering elf has had many flings with human women and has accidentally impregnated some of them, before either himself or the woman realize it. He doesn't know about most of his children, but many of them know about him. Half-Dark Elves Equal in population (if not more populous in the past) to half-common elves are half-dark elves. They occurred most often on Marmo, in the city of Salbad. Dark elves generally want little to do with “half-breeds”, so most could be found in the city. The majority of half-dark elves are born of the rape of their human mother by a dark elven man, a few are born of consensual flings and relationships. This population of half-dark elves increased with the invasion of Kanon. The dark elves of the Raiden settlement have a number of half-elves in their population, and these half-elves have a far better community to support them then half-elves of Marmo or Kanon. Quarter-Elves Quarter-elves are the result of a half-elf and a human union, and are far more human than they are elven. The children of half-elves and full elves are considered elves, and aside from some coloration, they are nearly indistinguishable from full elves. Quarter-elves appear mostly human, though they do have high metabolisms and are slim. The only obvious evidence of their elven heritage is the distinct point to their ears. Quarter-elves have the same potential for shamanism that elves and half-elves do, but an initially weaker spiritual connection. Their lifespans are far longer than the human norm, but half the length of a half-elf's life. They can live for 250-300 years, and their aging ceases from reaching maturity until their final few decades. At the fourth generation divided from elven parentage, the elven traits began to disappear. Those with an eighth of elven blood may have a slight point to their ears, or not; their metabolisms may be slow or fast; and their shamanist abilities are reduced. Following the rule of halved lifespans of the previous generations, eighth elves are reduced to around 150 years. They will appear ageless between their twenties and into their fifties, but age slowly catches up with them until death. Succeeding generations will have normal human lifespans and will no longer be distinguished from the human population, but may retain a talent for shamanism. Category:Basic lodoss Category:Races Category:Elves